Lupe Fiasco thrown off stage at Obama inauguration gig for playing 30 minute protest song

Written by FACT Team on Monday, January 21

As Complexnote, Lupe has previously been a vocal critic of the President: whilst on the promotional trail for his most recent LP, last year’s Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1, the rapper took to the radio in Philadelphia to lament the President’s use of drones in overseas combat, saying: “On one hand, you have someone who is a great speaker, but kills little children – our President…ordering drone attacks that go and kill mothers, innocent bystanders, children”.

Somewhat oddly, Lupe was booked for a show last night at Washington’s Hamilton Live in celebration of Obama’s inauguration. Lupe subsequently used his spot on the StartUp RockOn event to premiere a 30 minute anti-war track, and was eventually forced off stage by venue security.

Foreign Policyreporter Josh Rogin tweeted the following from the show:

Lupe Fiasco just got thrown off stage here at the Hamilton Live after he went on an anti-Obama diatribe mid set.

So Lupe played one anti-war song for 30 min and said he didn’t vote for Obama and eventually was told to move on to the next song.

Lupe refused to move to the next song so a team of security guards came on stage and told him to go.

Video of the kerfuffle is also available to watch below. The show’s organisers have claimed that Lupe was turfed off for reasons of taste, rather than because of any political bad blood:

“Lupe Fiasco was not ‘kicked off stage’ for an ‘anti-Obama rant. We are staunch supporters of free speech, and free political speech. This was not about his opinions. Instead, after a bizarrely repetitive, jarring performance that left the crowd vocally dissatisfied, organizers decided to move on to the next act.”

Lupe recently revealed that he had shelved his planned new LP Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 2.